Journalist Alan Cleaver reports on the impact of swine flu in the UK with a particular slant on how the media report the pandemic. The views expressed are his personal views only.

Wednesday, 26 August 2009

Another Scottish death

Another swine flu death, another glib reference to the person having 'underlying health problems' (UHPs).

This time it's a 59-year-old woman from Islay, in Argyll - the sixth person to die in Scotland. No other details are released and yet we are reliably informed by Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon that "As we have seen in previous cases, this patient was suffering from underlying health conditions and her death should not cause alarm among the general population".

But what are these UHPs? Mild asthma (like what I've got), epilepsy (as at least one report suggests was a contributory cause in a swine flu death) or is it just a phrase churned out each time to reassure the public.

In my quest to pin down when to panic and when not to, I have found this advice on the World Health Organisation website. It says medical attention should be sought when any of the following danger signs appear in someone with confirmed or suspected H1N1 infection:

Shortness of breath, either during physical activity or while resting

Difficulty breathing

Turning blue

Bloody or coloured sputum

Chest pain

Altered mental state, including drowsiness and confusion

High fever that persists beyond three days

Low blood pressure

In children, warning signs include fast or laboured breathing, lack of alertness, difficulty in waking up, and little or no desire to play.

Incidentally a Leicestershire doctor said at the start of August there had been five deaths to date (in England? or the UK?) where there were no UHPs. It's worth looking at this report just for the delightful picture of Dr Brian Brown that accompanies it!